“Your mother sent me over to you,” he answered.
Fox wasn’t sure he believed the man standing in front of him and was about to call him out on it when Aria walked over.
“Was Crevan able to help you, Mister James?” Aria asked.
Mister James held up a bottle of red they’d stocked from the local winery. “Yes, he did.”
“Good,” Aria said pleasantly. “I’ll ring you up now if you’re done with your purchase.”
“That would be wonderful, thank you.” James looked away from Aria to Fox. “It was nice meeting you, Crevan. I’m sure we’ll see each other again.”
The hell we will.
Fox watched the man walk over to the counter, pay for his wine, and then walked out of the store. Fox made a mental note of his face and voice, promising himself never to bump into that asshole again.
* * *
“There’sno sign of his whereabouts,” LaMarkus said.
Alistaire was sitting in LaMarkus’s office going over the information with him on Euan Gillies. “I can’t believe he didn’t leave a fucking trace. Not even his blood? I shot him in the head, for fuck sake.”
Since the night he’d encountered Euan, LaMarkus had been looking for the other immortal, trying to figure out what hole he was hiding in. They were certain there wasn’t a hole big enough in town to hide Gilles. Alistaire wanted to find him as soon as possible so he could move on with his life.
“Don’t worry, we’ll find him. I’ve got Dilen on this.”
“Dilen? He’s a good investigator,” Alistaire commented.
“He is, and I know what you’re thinking.”
“What? I wasn’t thinking anything.”
LaMarkus sighed and rolled his eyes. “I already asked him to take my place, and he turned it down.”
“I thought only a Vale could be the protector of the town?”
“According to my mother, there are loopholes.”
Alistaire nodded in understanding. “What do you know about Loki Boroson?”
“He’s an asshole and needs an ass-kicking. Why?”
“He offered me a job of police commissioner in Valleywood.”
“No shit!”
“Yeah, and before you ask, I’m weighing my options. I know he’s Odin’s son, but…”
“You can’t get a read on him,” LaMarkus added.
“No.”
“I don’t think even his father can figure that guy out,” LaMarkus mumbled.
“What would you do if you were in my shoes?” Alistaire valued LaMarkus’s honest opinions. The other man seemed to understand him the best out of all the Vale family members.
LaMarkus stood from his chair and moved over to Alistaire, placing a hand on his right shoulder. “I was wrong to offer you the position as sheriff. It was my way to try keeping you closer to me. You took a lower rank because you didn’t want to stand out. But seriously, Alistaire, everyone knows you don’t belong here. You’re made for bigger and better things. Hell, you have more experience than I do. Being a police commissioner is a wonderful opportunity, and you will be great at it. I can see you want to say yes to the job, and the only thing holding you back is thinking I’d feel jaded for turning down my offer. Don’t do that. Don’t settle for less trying to make me happy.”
“If I say yes, can I call you for advice?”
